(working title)
THE MAGIC CARPET:GAZA
The catastrophe of the attack on Gaza unfolds daily since October 7th, but of course the destruction and occupation of the Palestinian homeland has been escalating since 1947 and began with The British Balfour Declaration which was made on November 2, 1917.
At the moment in the art world there is an obsession with colonialism, to understand what colonialism actually is the occupation of Palestine is a text book example. Of course we have to examine our own history and how we got to here, but what seems puzzling is the absence of any comment about the current situation in Palestine where the process is unfolding in front of our eyes.
It was during the rehearsals of my work Mirror2 (Part 2 of a Mirror trilogy) at The Whitechapel in 2023 that the first attacks on Gaza that followed the October 7th attack on Israel, began.
In the piece at the Whitechapel Gallery, I wanted to do something to mark what was occurring but I did not want to interrupt the piece, but what i wanted to do something,
I had Picasso’s Guernica in my head. so I asked the performers to perform a simple act of stopping and looking upwards as if to see or hear the bombs. It was a signal to work that I would work on in the future. This proposal is that project.
THE WORK | OUTLINE | DRAFT SKETCH
To have maximum impact I want this work to be unexpected. Not political, not partisan. None of the Palestinians I met in the West Bank, want to be a martyr, freedom fighter or a victim, the Israelis I met in Tel Aviv did not want to be the oppressor, everyone just wants to be a normal person with an ordinary life.
To reflect this the work is an experiment with magical realism. It is not the expected images, it explores and presents ordinary people trying to do ordinary things. In a sense taking it outside the real emphasises the horror of the reality The fragility of the human being, that can be so easily destroyed and left broken.
Majd’s Story. (9 minutes) Please watch through and also importantly after the final credits.
BACKROUND
When I was in Palestine in 2005 I met and talked with many people. Everyone wanted to talk, so I felt compelled to record these testaments on video.
The most powerful was Majd a 13 year old Palestinian girl, who spoke so eloquently about the situation and the tremendous effect the occupation had on every part of her life. I was so moved by her clarity that I edited the video overnight in a film studio in Ramallah and showed the film called Majd to her and her family and then to the people of Jifna village where I was staying. I gave her the copyright, so I always need her permission to show the film.
The film has been shown occasionally in documentary film festivals. The most moving part is when Majd looks straight into the lens of the camera and says
“maybe you can help, you can tell our story to the world”
She also said that when she grows up she wants to be a doctor to help her people. I have been in contact with her ever since and asked her permission whenever I intended to show the film. The last time I met her in 2015 she was in London completing her degree as a doctor. Throughout this recent conflict she has been communicating with me, updating me on the situation.
Although despite the concerns that being clear and public about these crimes could lead to repercussions perhaps cancellation or discrimination, I can’t think of a single reason not to make this work.
The stage is empty of people, there is paper, chairs, tables all kinds of objects strewn on the floor.
There is a musical soundtrack, a distance hum.
A small group of people arrive with brooms sweeping and moving objects from one place to another.
They are dressed in gray some have remnants of medical uniforms, some items of muted drained colour.
The music changes to a delicate beautiful sounds.
A second group are three ballet dancers, dressed all in white who dance beautifully on point but their hands are dirty and covered in dark dusty material that gradually as they dance and touch each other leave dark stains in their clothing.
Their costumes are made from gauze and bandage. They float like butterflies weaving around the space. The dancers are ghosts who can not sleep or un-see what they witness and are invisible to the other performers.
The first group continue to move the objects in an endless loop
The music which is light and whimsical gradually also becomes darker, the music more solemn.
The final section sees the performers gradually leave the stage area, leaving just the debris on the floor, there are several minutes of an empty stage swept by a serach light.
A person walks into the centre of the stage and sings a cappella a solitary song in Arabic.
They leave the stage
